Holder for arc welding and arc cutting of metals



R. D. COLJNET Oct. 18, 1949.

HOLDER FOR ARC WELDING AND ARC CUTTING OF METALS Filed June 5, 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 3mm H D, CoZLnef W Lw W R. D. COLINET Oct. 18, 1949.

HOLDER FOR ARC WELDING AND ARC CUTTING OF METALS I Filed June 5, 1947 f 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 QYWRM/{M R. D. CoZL'neT 6 mwww R. D. COLINET Oct. 18, 1949.

HOLDER FOR ARC WELDING AND ARC CUTTING OF METALS Filed June 5, 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 grwem/Im D. foZineZ" Oct. 18, 1949.

Filed June 5, 1947 R. D. C'OLINET 2,485,360

HOLDER FOR ARC WELDING AND ARC CUTTING OF METALS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Oct. 18, 1949 CUTTING F METALS ui fi lhiladelpfiigg La .SOud'ure El'ectrique Autc'gene S.

Belgium 7 Apfiiieatioiiiiufie 5-, 1947'. l 52172? In Belgium April 1, 1941' 7 Claims. (01. zit-) 2 This invention relates to ho1ders for use in arc welding and" dating;- and more particularly in cdnjunction with houpw eliectro'des designed to introduce a gas, a liquid or a" powder inside the arc.

Such holders usually consist of a gripping member capable of fastening itself by mechanical pressure over the stdb e nd of metallic or other electrodes; providing bothan electric contact, and a physical hold on the electrode; and at times providing also a gas-tight connection to the passage inside the core of the electrode. Said gripping member is normally secured to' a convenient handle for mama Operation and also, generally through-the handle;- toan el'ectric'cable for current supply and to afiexible hose for the supply of gas, liquid or powder. One such application, particularly but not" exclusively considered, is the cutting of metalsby the combined action of an' electric arc and of an oxygen jet, generally referred to asth'e arc-oxygen process. Both the manual and the semi-automatic method using standard electrodes are considered" as applications of the invention."

The mechanical hold of .thegripping member is either permanently locked, resulting from a spring or cam action depending", on stresses built upbycsome previous deformation of a more or less flexible part or parts of the member, orit depends on muscular actionfrom the hand of the operator, who must thenkeepa trigger or other conveniently shapedlever depressedas long as the hold onthe electrode is desired. a

Anobjectof the invention is to'provide a corrsiderable permanent pressure upon the electrode, 2

through the easy operation; of a self-locking mechanism derived from a toggle system.

I Another object of the invention is to reduce the muscular fatigue of the operator when introduc ing new electrodes inthe holder or removing-stub ends of used electrodes therefrom, by limiting his-physical work the actual; energy absorbed by the electrode While being locked in the holder, plus negligible friction losses. In most springeed e l the gr pi me b r mus e pened wider t n t fina o k ip s ti i order to provide sufficient space to introduce the electrode freelybetween the contact jaws, and this requires an overdeformation or the spring,

which" necessitates a greater muscular action than the pressureforce actually' remaining in effect a r t e, .eb i fha e ease p o it e le'i i br ,t e.. ewe. e be ten h el ctrbde In the dereffi e .i en ie rthe Press" re developed byt he springer: by slightly elastic members" in neg thre6mnrea s from Zero to a aximum which is eacneq the" electrode is locked inthe' holdfi Atndti'rrie does the pressure have to be reater than the finai value desired on the ei'ectro'd;

A fu rth'er objector tne'irrveftmn is'-to automatically p'rm'ivide, exact centering of the electrode into or aga'inst'the se'aiin'gdevi'e; in case of hollow electrodes which are fed With gas, liquid or powder material's. r.

A still further object is to prevent the accidental release of the grip" onathe electrode should the latter stick to the work and 'should the operator attempt to" break. itl'oos by violent jerking or pullingon the holder.

Another importantflobject to' automatically provide positive ejection of the stub of a used electrode;v evn thoughisuchi stub may be firmly engaged in theseafing' niemb'erland would not drop or b pulledloutjeasily. after the gripping pressure oiian'ordinary holder has been released. Other featuresirsideintheadjuStability for wear, on bothijaws, or adjustability for different sizes of'electrodes;theiinclusion in the holder of a triggereoperated"valve toacontrol the flow of gas,; liquid or powder, through the. holder, and the offset connectionsof the electric cable and of the hoseinside the; handle; for space saving.

Various forms'.,o f.. co. nstruction ofa'holder accordin .to the vinventions. are shown: in the accompanying; drawings; where identical reference numbers designategparts performing identical functionsgand inlwhi'ch; 1

Figure l is a sideiview of the electrode holder for n aru al, ammndine;with-the parts in the closed or operating positionand certain parts in tiQnh: 4-. I!

Fig. 2 is a sideyjiew ,of theiholder of Fig. 1 in t e'e ened Or eh neine o t o Fig. 3 is a cross-section taken on line 3-3 of ntaken on line 4-4 of el t od F1g. 5 a cross-sectiontaken' on H tum/ e. he lg e tue nel. et e el v w -e holder with the parts in the closed line 5-5 of 3 Fig. 10 is a cross-section taken on line III-I of Fig. 6,

Fig. 11 is a longitudinal section of a modified holder,

Fig. 12 is a. side view of a. detail of Fig. 11,

Fig. 13 is an end view of the detail of Fig. 12, and

Fig. 14 is a longitudinal section of another modified holder.

In Figs. 1 to 14 a fixed adjustable jaw member I is mounted in a pair of U-shaped members I which cooperates with a slidable jaw member 24 which is mounted in the members 1. The members I are pivotally mounted by means of a pin or bolt 2 on a body or frame 3. A rod 8 has right and left threaded end sections which cooperate with the jaw 24 at one threaded section and with a bearing member 25 at the other threaded section, the bearing member 25 being secured in the frame 3. An adjusting screw I I is provided in the free ends of the members 'I to adjust the position of the jaw I in the members 1. Both jaws I and 24 are maintained in line with each other by the guiding action of the members 1. In the closed position the center of contact between the electrode 29 and the jaws and both pivoting centers 2 and 25, are substantially on the same straight line, in or slightly beyond the so-called dead center position of a toggle mechanism.

The tools of Figs. 6 to 14 show a casing I2 provided with a valve I3 operable by a pivoted handle I4. A hose connection I5 supplies the gas or other fiuid and I6 indicates the electric cable. A handle I! is provided with an antispatter shield I8. A nozzle or connecting socket I9 is provided with a sealing member 20 for the electrode.

In the modified structure of Fig. 11 a body member 2| is provided with a projection 22 which is hollow to receive a spring 23 acting against a piston 34. A cylinder-shaped bearing member 25 is provided in the projection 22 and one end of the rod 8 is threaded into this member 25.

In Fig. 14 the spring 23 is provided with a set screw :26 which is located approximately midway in the projection 22 to hold the spring fast in the middle of its length so that both centers 25 and 2 will move symmetrically and in opposite directions with respect to the holder.

The fundamental parts in all of the holders of the invention are the long-centered jaw I pivoting around a pin 2 which is fixed with respect to the casing 3, I2 or 2| of the holder except in Fig. 14 where it is permitted to move in an appropriate slot in the body or casing 2|, and the short-centered jaw 24 pivoting around the center 25 which is either fixed or movable with respect to the holder body 3, I2 or 2|.

When inserting an electrode 29 in the holder, Fig. 1, the operator first rotates the arm I as far down as it will go, Fig. 2 which separates the jaw 24 from jaw I. After introducing the stub 29 loosely between the jaws, to a length best determined by holding the thumb nail against the end of the bare portion of the stub of the electrode, the operator closes the arm I upward from the position of Fig. 2 to that of Fig. 1, pushing it with the hand holding the electrode, while the body of the holder is held in position by the other hand, by means of the handle IT. This motion is free until contact is reached between the jaws and the electrode, then the operator must push harder to reach the dead-center position. This can be done, either directly by continuation of the first motion, or by taking hold of the head I2, Fig. 6,

of the holder with two or more fingers of the hand holding the electrodes and squeezing the member I and head I2 together in that hand. In Figs. 6 to 14, the last part of the motion will 5 force the electrode stub exactly into or against the sealing member 20, which may be of any known type, such as a rubber washer fitting tight around or against the stub of the hollow electrode. Such exact centering is important, and will be facilitated if one of the jaws (or both) is grooved in V-shape to avoid lateral deflection of the electrode in the holder, as shown in Figs. 4 and 8.

The offset shape of the arm 1, Figs. 6 to 14, as compared with a straight shape as in Figs. 1 and 2, is justified by the need of entering the stub end of the electrode in the sealing member 20 as nearly straight as possible. This is obtained by locating center 2 on, or very near to, and perpendicular to the electrode at the sealing point of the stub. The motion of penetration is then tangential, which is practically equivalent, for a short stroke, to a purely linear motion of the electrode along is own axis.

Adjustment is provided by the limit screw I I and the right and left threaded connecting member 8. It is apparent that no amount of pulling back on the handle I! of the holder will open the grip of the jaws, should the electrode become accidentally stuck on the work. Depressing the handle down ward, however, will release the pressure if desired.

In Figs. 1 to 10, the amount of pressure on the electrode is determined by the extent of deformation permitted to the jaw connecting members 8 and 1. Since these members are very rigid, this pressure can be very high, up to one ton or more. It can even be so high as to damage the tool itself if misadjusted. To avoid this danger, in Figs. 11 and 14, the additional spring 23 is used, which also permits the use of different sizes of electrodes without readjustment.

A spring similar to spring 23, of course, could be installed also in the holder of Fig. 1. To prevent unnecessary fatigue to the operator, the length of the connecting member 8 should be so adjusted that the pressure of the spring only begins to bear on the jaws when the toggle mechanism is nearly completely closed. At that point, 50 deflection of the heavy spring is easy because of the near dead-center position of the jaw connectin members. Up to that point, however, the spring 23 was held in check under a comparatively heavy pre-load, by permitting pivot member 55 25 to abut against the end of the slot in the holder body. In Fig. 14, the spring 23 is held fast in the middle of its length by the set-screw 26 to force both centers 2 and 25 to move symmetrically and in opposite directions with respect to the no holder. Similarly, jaws I and 24, at least in the near-closed and in the closed position, move symmetrically with respect to the sealing head 20,

when various sizes of electrodes are used.

In all cases, the ejection of the stub from the u sealing head is positive, by a simple opening motion of the connecting member I. In the first part of that motion, high jaw pressure is maintained, thus extracting the stub despite strong adherence in the sealing member 20. Later the 70 jaws open and liberate the stub which now falls off freely. As shown in Fig. 14, by way of an example, all exposed parts of the holder can be electrically insulated against accidental contacts, protecting both the operator and the tool. 75 Sleeves 30 and 3|, Fig. 14, may be used to cover such parts, and are made of plastic, rubber or the like.

It will be noted that the jaw 24 is so arranged and has a configuration in order to follow in alignment the axis of rotation of the bearing 25 and the rod 8, as for instance shown in Figs. 1 and 2. This is necessary since the center of rotation of the member 1 is at the pin 2 which is spaced from the bearing 25. In Figs. 11 and 14 the jaw 24 has a bearing 32 which rotates in the jaw as the latter slides when the holding member is raised to the clamping position or lowered to the unclamping position.

It is obvious that the various holders are capable of being modified within the scope of the appended claims. Also it is not necessary that all parts shall be used but the parts are capable of use in sub-combinations.

I claim as my invention;

1. An electrode holder for electric arc welding or cutting or the like with tubular electrodes, comprising a handle, a body mounted on the handle, a gas connection supported on the body, a pair of cooperating gripping jaws pivotally mounted on the body and adapted to swing from a position remote from the gas connection to a position adjacent the gas connection and insert the end of a tubular electrode into the gas connection, and means operative by swinging the jaws toward the gas connection for locking the jaws and operative by swinging the jaws away from the gas connection for releasing the jaws.

2. An electrode holder for electric arc welding or cutting or the like with tubular electrodes, which comprises a body, a gas connection including a push fitting on the body adapted to make gas supply contact with the end of an electrode, a pair of cooperating gripping jaws pivotally mounted on the body and swingable from a position remote from the push fitting to a position adjacent the push fitting and a toggle interconnecting one of the cooperating jaws and the body and locked by swinging the jaws toward the push fitting.

3. An electrode holder for electric arc welding or cutting or the like with tubular electrodes, comprising a body, a gas connection including a push fitting mounted on the body and extending transversely, a channel member pivotally mounted on the body and swingable transversely from a position adjoining the push fitting to a position remote therefrom, a relatively fixed jaw mounted on the channel member, a relatively movable jaw slidable in the channel member and cooperating with the relatively fixed jaw to provide a gripping space which in closed position aligns with the push connection, and a toggle operative by swinging the channel member for closing the jaws.

4. An electrode holder for electric arc welding or cutting or the like with tubular electrodes, comprising a body, a gas connection including a push fitting mounted on the body and extending transversely, a channel member pivotally mounted on the body and swingable transversely from a position adjoining the push fitting to a position remote therefrom, a relatively fixed jaw mounted on the channel member, a relatively movable jaw slidable in the channel member and cooperating with the relatively fixed jaw to provide a gripping space which in closed position aligns with the push fitting. and a spring toggle interconnecting the relatively movable jaw with the body and closing and locking that jaw by the break of the toggle when the channel member is swung to a position adjacent the push fitting.

5. An electrode holder for electric arc welding or cutting or the like with tubular electrodes,

' comprising a body, a gas supply connection having a push fitting mounted on the body, a pair of cooperating gripping jaws, and two operating members pivoting around separate centers on the body in the same plane, each member rigidly holding one jaw and one of the jaws being perpendicular to its operating member, the jaws being movable with respect to the members, and the pivoting centers being substantially in a straight line with respect to the centers of both jaws in the locked position of the holder and the pivoting center of the member having a perpendicular jaw being substantially on a perpendicular to the electrode, passing through the push fitting.

6. An electrode holder for electric arc Welding or cutting or the like with tubular electrodes, comprising a, body. a gas connection having a push fitting extending transversely to the body, a channel operating member pivoted on the body and swingable transversely of the body from a position adjacent the open end of the push fittin to a position remote therefrom, a relatively fixed jaw mounted on the channel member, a cooperating relatively movable jaw slidable in the channel member, a toggle arm pivotally connected to the relatively movable jaw and to the body at a location between the pivotal mounting of the channel member and the push fitting, and a spring resiliently urging the pivot of the toggle member on the body away from the pivotal sup port of the channel member on the body.

'7. An electrode holder for electric arc welding or cutting or the like with tubular electrodes, comprising a body, a gas connection having a push fitting extending transversely to the body, a channel operating member pivoted on the body and swingable transversely of the body from a position adjacent the open end of the push fitting to a position remotetherefrom, a relatively fixed jaw mounted on the channel member, an adjustment for the relatively fixed jaw with respect to the channel member, a cooperating relatively movable jaw slidable in the channel member, a toggle arm pivotally connected to the relatively movable jaw and to the body at a, location between the pivotal mounting of the channel member and the push fitting, and a spring resiliently urging the pivot of the toggle member on the body away from the pivotal support of the channel member on the body.

RENE D. COLINET.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Cotton Dec. 17, 1946 

